SR54.DOC

WHEREAS, in December 2006, the Honolulu City Council voted to select a fixed guideway project as the Locally Preferred Alternative, a historic decision that will move people and improve mobility, and will also be key to shaping the development in the transit corridor and many high-density areas within the transit influence zone; and

WHEREAS, as a result, transit oriented development is increasingly recognized as having the potential to improve the quality of life for Hawaii households by creating livable communities in proximity to transit; and

WHEREAS, transit oriented development presents unique opportunities to address land use, planning, zoning, and financing issues that affordable housing developers encounter when developing mixed-income housing projects; and

WHEREAS, these are important planning issues that will reshape the urban form of Honolulu, will shape the emerging form of the Ewa-Kapolei district, and will determine the connection between these two important urban centers; and

WHEREAS, transit oriented development also presents an opportunity to reevaluate land use, to create spaces that achieve community and building objectives, and to set priorities for public and private investment in infrastructure, public facilities, and affordable housing; and

WHEREAS, decisions for alignment, station location, access, amenities, and nearby land use all involve compromise, often between state, county, and private entities; and

WHEREAS, identifying alternatives, understanding costs and benefits, and finding criteria for decisions are all basic steps in the planning process, and choices made regarding development, both public and private, will determine the success of the transportation system, its ridership, its usefulness, and its ability to interact between destinations; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is urged to establish a Transit Oriented Development Task Force to facilitate mixed-income and affordable housing in transit oriented developments by better coordinating transportation and housing planning and programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Transit Oriented Development Task Force consists of at least the following thirteen members; provided that each county that develops a rapid transit system shall be represented on the task force:

(1) The Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation;

(2) The Director of the state Office of Planning, or a designated representative;

(3) The state Director of Finance, or a designated representative;

(4) Two members of the State Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom shall be the Chairperson of the Senate Committee with primary responsibility for housing issues;

(5) Two members of the State House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be the Chairperson of the House Committee with primary responsibility for housing issues;

(6) The county Director of Planning, or a designated representative;

(7) The county Director of Budget and Fiscal Services, or a designated representative;

(8) The county Housing Director, or a designated representative;

(9) The county Director of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, or a designated representative; and

(10) Two members of the County Council appointed by the Chairperson of the Council, one of whom represents an area with, or planned to have rapid transit stations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Transit Oriented Development Task Force serve in an advisory capacity to the Legislature, the legislative body of each county, and the appropriate state and county agencies responsible for carrying out a continuing, comprehensive, transit oriented development planning process, and is requested to:

(1) Identify regulatory barriers to housing near transit stations;

(2) Identify ways to improve coordination of housing and transportation planning including the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Consolidated Plan and Public Housing Agency Plan, and the United States Department of Transportation's transportation planning requirements;

(3) Identify strategies for addressing area housing and transportation needs including the designation of transit oriented development zones;

(4) Identify ways to improve the leveraging of housing and transportation funds;

(5) Identify financial incentives for funding mixed-income and affordable housing near transit, as well as land use and other incentives to expand housing choices in proximity of new and existing transit stations;

(6) Identify tax incentives for the development or rehabilitation of community health care facilities within mixed-use transit oriented development projects;

(7) Monitor outcomes and continually update goals and objectives; and

(8) Undertake any other functions as may be appropriate in an advisory capacity to ensure a joint planning process between a county and the State, and advise appropriate legislative bodies and agencies, as necessary; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Transit Oriented Development Task Force is requested to report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed state or county legislation, to this body no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Sessions of 2010, 2011, and 2012; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Transit Oriented Development Task Force cease to exist on December 31, 2011; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mayors of the four counties, and Chairs of the legislative bodies of the four counties.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Transit Oriented Development Task Force; Established; Reports

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	54
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII